A note about the Radiohead album

I’m a big Radiohead fan. My AIM screenname (ugh) was “wadiohead” (triple, possibly quadruple ugh). The King of Limbs is very good. And even though I’ve listened to it a lot, I’m not done processing it yet. Not ready to say where it fits in the Pantheon of Radiohead. But I’m leaning towards this being their least successful post-Pablo Honey. Which may or may not be true. And certainly doesn’t mean I don’t think it’s very good: didn’t I just say that? What I am ready to say, with some level of certainty, is that it was not the best album released last week.

That PJ Harvey album? It’s an absolute monster. How much of a monster? So much of a monster that Kanye had to put himself in the sarcophagus. So much of a monster that it fades her entire back catalog. That it answers the question that Is this Desire? asked. That it made me re-listen to Uh Huh Her (still her worst). That it’s the first time in I don’t know how long that I’ve found myself worried about what an album has to say. That it made me break our rule about posting multiple tracks from an album. So much of a monster that it gives me the chills.

Or. Another way: So much of a monster that I’ve been listening to it rather than the newly released Radiohead album. And that you can now AIM me at PJCarvey.

2 Responses to A note about the Radiohead album

Spot on. Coming from another huge Radiohead fan who has, shamefully, overlooked PJ Harvey’s music over the years. Especially the sentence, “…first time in I don’t know how long that I’ve found myself worried about what an album has to say.” And on top of the power of the words, the whole delivery and nature of the sound makes it all the more precious. I can almost imagine Thom calling up Miss Harvey to congratulate her on putting out the best record of the year.